A destiny set in fire
by FireAndIce123
Summary: Azula always thought it was her destiny to become Fire Lord. After the defeat of the Fire Nation, she finds out she has been wrong all along.


**A/N:**

 **Team: Fire Nation**

 **Round: Four (completion)**

 **Category: Themed**

 **Prompt: Riding something**

 **Word Count: 2.941**

'It's almost done,' Azula said out loud, looking at the construction in front of her. She had never seen a building that looked like the one before her - and for good reason.

 _The sky had that beautiful, orange colour that made the entire world seem softer and more at peace. Azula had come to love it. She was a Firebender and she loved and worshipped the sun - but she felt that when the sun left them, it was the most spectaculair sight of the day. They often watched together as the sky above them became darker and the stars appeared._

 _In the capital of the Fire Nation, there was always a lot of light - fire in abundance. Even though the Sun Warriors existed of mostly firebenders as well, it was completely dark at night. No lights were allowed outside of the buildings. At first she had thought it was proof they were behind the more civilized mainland, but she had quickly realised she was wrong._

 _Without any fire present to outshine the stars, the night sky told so many story that had been hidden from her when she left the capital. The warriors had taught her the meaning of the stars, their movements and the positions of the celestial body's. Azula had even learned to admire the moon - her presence on those nights filled her with a sense of calm. Peace - a feeling she hadn't known for so long._

' _I think we should be heading back,' Wu Lan said._

' _Why?' Azula asked teasingly. 'Are you afraid of the dark, Wu Lan?'_

 _Wu Lan huffed, quickly producing a small flame she carried in the palm of her hand. 'I'm a daughter of the sun and the light. I'm not afraid of darkness. But still, I don't see why we should be out here at this time.'_

' _I… have a feeling,' Azula said. She looked at the volcano in the center of the island. 'Since a few days - and I can't ignore it anymore. You don't have to follow me, but I'm going to the volcano.'_

' _Feeling?' Wu Lan repeated._

' _I can sense the presence of… it isn't exactly fire, but it feels the same way.'_

 _Wu Lan frowned. 'Do you think the volcano is about to erupt?'_

 _She seemed worried._

 _Azula shrugged. 'I don't know. That's why I want to go there.' Wu Lan didn't protest anymore, realizing the importance of Azula's mission. She couldn't sense the feeling, but she knew Azula was a powerful bender and she trusted her instincts._

 _It wasn't an easy task to reach the volcano. Plants tugged at their long robes and loose pants. There was no path, so they had to climb over obstacles and duck for low hanging branches. They had their fire to make sure they could see where they were going, but at the same time they had to make sure not to set something on fire._

 _It was after midnight when they reached the foot of the volcano. 'Stay here,' Azula commanded. She had only been with the warriors for a few months. It had been hard to live here at first - right now, she had come to love the routine of their days. It gave her a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging. She wasn't alone anymore. But she still had some of her old mannerisms left. Her authoritarian tone being one of them._

 _Azula jumped, using her fire to propel herself. Wu Lan expected her to climb the volcano completely, but she didn't. Only half way, she suddenly stopped and then seemed to disappear._

 _Wu Lan's eyes widened in suprise._

 _Azula used her flames to watch where she was going. The floor of the cave was oneven and she had to control her footing to make sure she wouldn't injure herself. The force that pulled her was here, she knew it. A part of her wondered if it was her madness that had driven her here. She hadn't seen visions of her mother in months, but she couldn't be sure._

 _Azula wanted to ask if anyone could hear her, but she knew that was stupid. So instead, she kept walking. The sensation grew stronger._

 _Only a couple of meters…_

 _Azula heard a hissing sound. She frowned and stopped walking, outstretching with her hand with her fire to be able to see in the distance._

 _Her breath caught in her throat._

 _A dragon,_ a real dragon, _was sitting there. She was trying to shield something from Azula - something that appeared to be three small dragons. Her children?_

' _No… this can't be real,' Azula muttered. 'I'm going crazy, aren't I?'_

Again? _she thought_.

 _She blinked a couple of times, but the dragons didn't disappear._

' _If you were real, you would've attacked me,' she argued. 'So you're not real. This… this is in my mind.'_

 _She shook her head, taking a few steps backward. 'No.'_

 _She had to force herself to focus again. When she looked at the dragon, she noticed the poor animal was injured._

' _Are you real?' she asked the animal._

 _The dragon seemed to look at her. Great, even the dragon thought she was crazy._

' _If you're real… I can help you.'_

 _Why was she talking at her illusion? Was it because some part of her didn't want to believe it was an illusion?_

 _Azula hesitated, but she took a few steps towards the dragon anyway. The animal hissed, her eyes fixated on Azula._

' _Look, I'm just like you,' Azula said. 'I'm a Firebender. And I'm a warrior of the sun. We protect the last dragons… you can trust me.'_

 _The dragon didn't make more sounds when she came closer. She didn't even have the strength to move away. She was tired, and hurt._

 _Azula carefully stretched her hand. If she couldn't feel the dragon, she would know it was fake. She just had to feel its scales, then she would know it wasn't a production of her own imagination._

 _The dragon didn't blow fire at her when Azula touched her. She could feel the dragon. The cold, polished scales. The heat unterneath it - heat that seemed to be dangerously weak._

 _It took Azula few seconds to process what had just happened._

' _Let me help you,' she said. 'Come with me - we all want to help you. No one will hurt you - we'll protect you and heal you. I promise.'_

 _The dragon looked at her. Azula could feel her distrust. The only reason she hadn't been roasted yet was the dragon's worrisome state._

 _Since her arrival on the island, Azula had learned a lot about dragons. About the history they had with humans - how they picked one rider for the rest of their lives, how they could form bonds…_

 _Azula breathed softly before placing her hand on the dragon's forehead. It was as if she touched the force that had been pulling her here. It was fire, but it also wasn't… it was the dragon's chi, pulsing through her body._

 _Azula could sense it._

' _You and I - we're not so different,' she said. 'I used to mistrust everyone as well. And I was alone, with no one to protect me. I had too much on my plate as well - you have to take care of three little dragons on your own, I was crowed Fire Lord at the age of fourteen. Granted, it was an empty title… and it wasn't the title that meant so much to me. I only wanted to prove myself to my father.'_

 _She bit her lip._

' _Coming here changed everything.'_

 _She shook her head, trying to get rid of these annoying tears that threatened to fall on her cheeks. 'Come with me,' she whispered. 'You and your children can't stay in this cave forever. My people will help you.'_

 _She knew dragons were intelligent, but she didn't know if the mother had understood all her words._

 _To her surprise, the dragon seemed to bow her head._

' _You trust me then?' Azula asked._

 _The dragon didn't move - but her eyes glanced at Azula._

' _A wise decision. I will help you. I won't leave you alone. Come with me.'_

 _The baby dragons walked after their mom as they left the cave. All four of them seemed too weak to fly. Not surprising, Azula thought. The mother probably was too weak to hunt for them._

' _It will be a long time before the sun sets again - but you'll be safe before that.'_

 _Wu Len's eyes widened whenl she saw the dragons. Her mouth fell open. 'I… don't… are those dragons?' she asked weakly._

' _Yes,' Azula responded._

' _Did you… are they the fire you sensed?'_

' _Apparently,' Azula said._

 _Wu Lan looked at her with big eyes. 'That's… that's… unheard of for centuries.' Azula frowned, not understanding what she meant, but quickly deciding it wasn't important. 'We need to get them to safety. Hurry towards the temples and warn everyone. I'll make sure they stay safe and warm.'_

 _She looked at the dragons again after Wu Len had left. 'They'll come up with a solution… you won't be able to travel the forest like this.'_

 _The dragon looked at her._

' _I can provide heat,' Azula continued._

 _The dragon bowed her head as if she gave permission._

 _Azula let a fire appear in her hands, small at first to make sure she wouldn't scare the dragons. The dragon made a small sound and her children hesitantly moved towards Azula, but after a few seconds, as they realised she wasn't going to hurt them, they basked in the heat of her flames._

' _Don't worry,' Azula said. 'You'll be safe.' She kneeled so that the flames were closer to the small dragons._

 _She looked at the mother dragon. 'Do you… do you have a name?'_

 _The dragon looked at her before shaking her head._

' _I'll just call you mother-dragon then,' Azula said. 'If that's alright with you.' Even though the dragon couldn't speak, Azula knew she approved._

 _She had been taught that the killing of the dragons was something to be proud of. It was a part of the 'glorious history of the Fire Nation' that had started with the genocide of the Air Nomads._

 _Coming here, Azula had learned it had been wrong. She had learned and she understood why it was wrong. But there's a difference between knowing something and feeling it. Now, for the first time, Azula felt with her whole being that it was wrong what her anceistors had done._

 _Shame filled_ her.

 _One of the small dragons placed his head on her upper leg, seeking her warmth. Looking down on the small creature, Azula realised she wasn't her ancestors. She wasn't them, she wasn't defined by them nor was she guilty for their crimes._

' _I will protect you,' she told the dragons again. 'Don't you worry - from now on, you'll be safe.' She hesitated for a few moments. 'Trust me.'_

'Azula?'

The voice was hesitant, barely more than a whisper. It had been more than ten years since he had last seen her.

Azula turned around. If she was surprised, she didn't show it. A small smirk appeared around her lips. 'Zuzu,' she said, but the word wasn't laced with the venom it used to have.

She had changed - but in some ways, she was the same as well.

'It's almost done, they told me,' Zuko said.

Azula nodded. 'I hope they'll find a great home here.'

The dragon refuge was enormous. It was big enough for six dragons - who could leave any time they wanted.

Azula had made the design herself. She was the only person the dragons listened to - and on the subject of dragons, she was the only person in the world who had any experience.

She had made sure dragons would never be slaves again.

'It has been a long time,' Zuko said.

Azula nodded. 'It has been, brother. Things have changed.' She looked at him. 'I've heard great things about you, Zuko.'

He had never expected to hear words of praise from his sister - and he almost blushed, surprised and glad at the same time.

'It seems you've found your destiny,' Azula continued. She started to laugh. 'Look at that - I'm going to sound like uncle. The warriors got to me.'

'It seems you've found your destiny as well,' Zuko said.

Azula nodded. 'I've always thought it was my destiny to become Fire Lord - but that was only because father had picked that destiny for me. This one - well, I didn't _entirely_ pick it for myself - maybe the spirits picked it for me. It's way better than being firelord.'

She smiled to soften her words, even though Zuko knew she meant them.

'You're quite the talk in the Fire Nation,' Zuko said.

Azula smiled. 'Is that so?'

'My ministers keep pressuring me to invite you.'

'Yet you never did.'

There was a silence only Zuko seemed to find awkward. Azula had found a new sort of grace. She still controlled the situation - not because she manipulated it, but because she controlled herself.

'I was scared,' Zuko admitted. 'Being Firelord… it isn't easy.'

'I can imagine.'

'I was afraid people would rally behind you.'

Azula laughed. 'I don't want the crown anymore, Zuko. I told you, I have found my own destiny. Being the Dragon-Princess is a title that suits me better.'

Zuko hesitated. 'Will you come back?'

Azula hesitated as well. 'My dragons are my number one concern, Zuko. The capital isn't ready for them just yet.'

Zuko nodded.

'Azula?'

'Yes?'

'We're not enemies anymore, are we?'

She smiled. 'Of course not, _dumdum._ '

Her old insult for him made Zuko smile.

'Is there a chance we'll be family again?'

Azula turned her back on the building. 'I'm not sure,' she said. 'You left me alone, all those years ago… and I've found myself a new family. Not only my dragons, but the other warriors as well.'

Her words stung. 'I should've… I should've done better.'

'Don't beat yourself up,' Azula said. 'In the end, I turned out fine, didn't I?'

Zuko nodded and smiled.

'Maybe, one day, we can be a real family again,' Azula said.

Zuko nodded. 'I'd like that.'

Azula turned back to watch her project again. 'How's Mai doing?'

'Good… we're married, actually.'

'I know, Zuko. We chose to live away from society, but we're not completely cut off.'

Zuko smiled sheepishly.

'It's almost finished,' Azula suddenly said. 'The first dragons to return, Zuko. Away from the island of the sun warriors. The first to return _home_.'

'Thanks to you,' Zuko said.

Azula smiled. She had always thought her prodigual skills had been proof she were better than Zuko - proof she would have to be Firelord in his place.

Instead, they turned out to be a gift for a whole other reason. They had allowed her the find those dragons, who would certainly have died in that cave if she hadn't found them, starved for food.

'In the end, it all makes sense,' Azula said.

'How do you mean?' Zuko asked.

'If things had been different… we wouldn't be where we are today. And I think we both agree you and I are exactly where we are supposed to be.'

She smiled. 'It's finished,' she declared after the last panel had been placed.

'Congratulations.'

She looked at her brother again. 'I need to get the other dragons - they have to inspect here new home.'

Zuko smiled. 'Tell them I said hi.'

Azula laughed at his silly joke. 'Tell uncle to bring some of his tea, the next time he visits me. No one makes a good blend quite like he does.'

'Maybe I'll join him next time he visits you,' Zuko said.

'I'd like that,' Azula responded.

'Aang would like to visit you as well,' Zuko said. 'He has told me years ago… but I think he's still, well, you know…'

Azula laughed out loud - something Zuko hadn't caught her doing since she was a child. 'It's good to know the Avatar still fears me,' she said. 'Tell him I've only grown worse - and that I have a small army of dragons, ready to fry everyone who displeases me.'

Zuko smiled at her playful tone. 'I'll tell him that.'

There was silence, thick with both nostalgia and hope. Azula eventually stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Zuko's waist.

'I'll see you soon, brother,' she said.

Zuko nodded.

'I'm proud of you,' she added. 'You make a great Fire Lord.'

The first dragon warrior since ages smiled at her brother before she whistled. Zuko had to resist the urge to jump back as a huge dragon appeared.

'Mama-dragon, you ready?' Azula asked. It wasn't the official name for her dragon - but a little joke between them.

She looked at Zuko. 'I would invite you for a ride… but you seem a little scared already.'

'I… one day,' Zuko said.

Azula chuckled.

No, she hadn't completely changed, Zuko thought as he watched her. She still had the posture of a princess, sitting on her dragon, her back straight. Even though her clothes were completely in the style of the Sun Warriors, she still wore her hair in the traditional Fire Nation half-bun.

But she had changed as well. She had found a goal in life - a destiny, if you wanted to call it that.

Maybe she had been right when she said everything had sense. Maybe everything had happened for a reason.

He had once thought his sister was lost forever.

He now watched her fly away on her dragon, away from the first completed dragonhome in more than a century.

Maybe miracles did exist.

Maybe they had made them for themselves.

 **A/N: A bit sappy, but we all know Azula deserves a redemption-arc!**

 **I have a really long list of Azula-fics I want to write and a multi-chapters version of this is on the planning as well. With a bit of luck, I'll be able to start in 2020 ;).**

 **Anyway, please review and don't forgot the check the Azulaweek account on tumblr. They organize a week around our favourite princess and you can write a story for one or more days.**


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